Great to be 8!

Are they the most precious sight or what? These two boys are truly a match made in heaven. I know John and Jack knew each other before they were born and most likely begged to be born on the same day. Preemie Jack came a bit early or else they would've been very close. They were blessed together, sit together every Sunday in Primary, get together as often as possible, started Cub Scouts together, and were just baptized together. They will serve missions at the same time (probably not together but who knows?), and I can see them being college roommates together. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they get married together and are next door neighbors. They adore each other! I'm so thankful they have a special friendship. I have never heard them say a cross word to each other, argue or even disagree for that matter. They enjoy every minute they get to spend together and it is a joy to be with them. I am thankful they made the decision to be like our Savior, Jesus and be baptized as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are both wonderful examples to me of how to live.

Big Easy Love

This year marked our 13th wedding anniversary...wow! We haven't had a get away or trip for just the two of us in awhile, so it was great to head to New Orleans for a weekend anniversary trip. My sister-in-law, Christy's boyfriend, Nick, generously offered us the use of his beautiful French Quarter condo (pictured above). We were able to conveniently leave the car at the condo and walk to all the beautiful sights. After arriving Friday night, we freshened up and walked a few blocks to Cafe Maspero. They have the best Muffuletta piled high with meat-ham, pastromi- swiss cheese and that delish olive salad. Hilton had the gigantic seafood platter. We had beignets and chocolate milk for breakfast at Cafe DuMonde. Yum. We love those!! No trip to the Big Easy is complete without a visit to Cafe DuMonde.We walked Jackson Square, did some window shopping and took in all the art and historic beauty of this unique city. It brought back fond memories of our courtship and dating. We spent a lot of time in the French Quarter while we were dating...very romantic.

I said it was a unique city. "Silverman" (I'm sure he has a much better title than that) was actually quite entertaining. I knew Jack would've loved him. He made all sorts of robotic movements with his own interesting body beeping and buzzing sounds. Impressive.
We got a ride from Christy to Magazine Street and checked out the shops and sights here. I loved this area....some very unique and cool shops and boutiques. We had to hang out under an eave of a building while it poured down rain for about an hour. We finally made our way to the highly recommended Juan's Flying Burrito for lunch. Uh, can I just say this was the most fabulous, ginormous burrito I've ever tasted? My mouth is watering just thinking about that yummy monster burrito. Our trip was short, but we packed so much in. We rode the streetcar back to the French Quarter to end our super day. It was a wonderful time to get away with Hilton. Our 13 years have not been perfect, but I know more than ever that he is the perfect one for me. I'm thankful for all the tough stuff we have been through together....
TOGETHER being the key word. I love him more today than I did 13 years ago.

Lazy? days of Summer?

At the beginning of Summer, our family headed to Ft. Morgan, Alabama for a week long beach vacation. I had spent months searching for the perfect spot. We wanted something off the beaten path but not too primitive. We stayed at the Dunes condos a mile from the end of the peninsula. What a blast!! Our condo is the second story balcony right above Jack's head. We loved our time there so much, as soon as we got home we booked it for next year. Unfortunatly and fortunatly, we had to cancel our reservation for next year because we will be attending the Forstyh family reunion in Utah.

This is the Burris farmer's market near Foley, Alabama. We stopped for a potty break and some treats. There were fresh coblers, cookies, cakes...too much to choose from. Of course we had to get a photo with the yummy giant peach. Alabama is known for their juicy peaches.

I had planned our meals very meticulously and brought most everything with us in a cooler. I wanted to park on Saturday and not leave for the entire week. We ate like kings. We did go out to eat in nearby Gulf Shores, AL one day, but for the most part we cooked and ate in our condo.

Our condo was just a few minutes stroll to the beach. Sophie loved building sandcastles and playing on the beach. The water was perfect and the waves were so much fun.

At the end of the peninsula, we caught a ferry to Dauphin Island. There was much to do and see there. We visited historic Ft. Gaines, a civil war fortress and The Dauphin Island Estuarium.

At night, we took our flashlights and buckets in search of ghost crabs. It was fun...and a little scary. Sophie was terrified. Maddie found so many hermit crabs. We let each of them bring one home. Poor hermit crabs.

This is Sam at the Estuarium. He will probably not appreciate my choice of pictures here, but I couldn't help it. He looks so cute. I think he looks like Fish out of water from "Chicken Little". Now I know he really won't appreciate it.

Jack loved every minute of the Estuarium. It was very hands on. Here, he and Sophie are "petting" sting rays. We also got to touch a shark.

This is my most "favoritest" photo. Gramps and Grandma camped for a few days just down the road from us. They came and played at the beach, swam in our pool,and ate with us one day. We went to their campground one night to hang out too. The kids played in the Mobile bay looking for more hermit crabs. We grilled steaks and made s'mores. It was nice sharing some of our vacation with them. We love them sooooooo much.

This was one of the most relaxing, enjoyable vacations we've ever had. Hilton wasn't right on board when I first brought up the idea of spending a week at the beach, but in the end, he loved every minute of it. One day at the beach, I looked around and couldn't find him. I finally spotted him out jumping and riding the waves with Sam. It was a simple thing, but it was beautiful. You'd have to know him like I do, I guess. It made everything so worth it! It was great having Gramps and Grandma closeby for a few days, and Hannah and Parker came and spent a night and day with us. Next time, we'll get a bigger condo for EVERYONE! The more the merrier!